This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

12758 

Vol. 89, No. 34 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 1216 

[Doc. No. AMS–SC–23–0060] 

Peanut Promotion, Research, and 

Information Order; Continuance 

Referendum 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notification of referendum. 

SUMMARY: This document directs that a 

referendum be conducted among 

eligible producers of peanuts to 

determine whether they favor 

continuance of the Agriculture 

Marketing Service’s (AMS) regulations 

regarding a national peanut research 

and promotion program. 

DATES: This referendum will be 

conducted from April 8, 2024, through 

April 19, 2024. Eligible persons will 

receive a ballot through mail and will 

cast a ballot either through express mail 

or electronic ballot. To be eligible to 

vote, each person who is an eligible 

producer, at the time of the referendum 

and during the representative period 

from January 1 through December 31, 

2022, shall be entitled to cast a ballot in 

the referendum. Ballots delivered to 

AMS via express mail or electronic 

ballot must show proof of delivery by no 

later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) 

on April 19, 2024, to be counted. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Peanut 

Promotion, Research, and Information 

Order (Order) may be obtained from: 

Referendum Agent, Market 

Development Division, Specialty Crops 

Program, AMS, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Room 1406– 

S, Stop 0244, Washington, DC 20250– 

0244, Telephone: (202) 720–8085; or 

contact Victoria M. Carpenter at (202) 

400–1865 or Email: VictoriaM.

Carpenter@usda.gov or Deanna Bakken 

at (970) 652–0923 or Email: Deanna.

Bakken@usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Victoria M. Carpenter, Marketing 

Specialist, MDD, SCP, AMS, USDA, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 

1406–S, Stop 0244, Washington, DC 

20250–0244; Telephone: (202) 400– 

1865; or Email: VictoriaM.Carpenter@

usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to the Commodity Promotion, Research 

and Information Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 

7411–7425) (Act), it is hereby directed 

that a referendum be conducted to 

ascertain whether continuance of the 

Order (7 CFR part 1216) is favored by 

eligible peanut producers covered under 

the program. The Order is authorized 

under the Act. 

The representative period for 

establishing voter eligibility for the 

referendum is January 1 through 

December 31, 2022. Persons who are 

engaged in the production and sale of 

peanuts at the time of the referendum 

and during the representative period are 

eligible to vote. Persons who received 

an exemption from assessments 

pursuant to § 1216.56 for the entire 

representative period are ineligible to 

vote. AMS will provide the option for 

electronic balloting. The referendum 

will be conducted by mail and 

electronic ballot from April 8, 2024, 

through April 19, 2024. Further details 

will be provided in the ballot 

instructions. 

Section 518 of the Act authorizes 

continuance referenda. Under 

§ 1216.82(b) of the Order, the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA) must 

conduct a referendum every five years. 

The Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) 

may also hold a referendum if 10 

percent or more of all eligible peanut 

producers request that the Secretary do 

so, or at any time to determine whether 

persons subject to assessment favor 

continuance of the program. The last 

referendum was held in 2019. The 

Board voted to conduct the next 

referendum in April 2024. USDA would 

continue the Order if continuance is 

favored by a simple majority of the 

producers voting in the referendum and 

who, during the representative period 

January 1 through December 31, 2022, 

have been engaged in the production of 

peanuts. 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 

chapter 35), the referendum ballot has 

been approved by the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) and 

assigned OMB No. 0581–0093. There are 

approximately 6,702 producers who 

will be eligible to vote in the 

referendum. It will take an average of 15 

minutes for each voter to read the voting 

instructions and complete the 

referendum ballot. 

Referendum Order 

Victoria M. Carpenter, Marketing 

Specialist; Deanna Bakken, Marketing 

Specialist; and Alexandra Caryl, Branch 

Chief, Market Development Division, 

SCP, AMS, USDA, Stop 0244, Room 

1406–S, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW, Washington, DC 20250–0244, are 

designated as the referendum agents to 

conduct this referendum. The 

referendum procedures at 7 CFR 

1216.100 through 1216.107, which were 

issued pursuant to the Act, shall be used 

to conduct the referendum. 

The referendum agent will mail or 

provide access electronically to the 

ballots to be cast in the referendum and 

voting instructions to all known, eligible 

producers prior to the first day of the 

voting period. Any eligible producer 

who does not receive a ballot should 

contact the referendum agent no later 

than three days before the end of the 

voting period. Ballots delivered via 

express mail or electronic ballot must 

show proof of delivery by no later than 

11:59 p.m. ET on April 19, 2024, to be 

counted. 

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1216 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Advertising, Information, 

Marketing agreements, Peanuts, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7411–7425; 7 U.S.C. 

7401. 

Erin Morris, 

Associate Administrator, Agriculture 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03371 Filed 2–16–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 


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